Chopaka Lake

Attractions. Chopaka Lake is a pretty mountain lake known for its fishing. The lake, about 1.5 miles long, is closed to motorized use and can only be fished with flies and barbless hooks. Besides the fishing, the lake provides nice primitive car camping (no hookups, no running water, pit toilets), nice canoeing, and comfortable swimming in late July and August.

Access: From Loomis, follow the Loomis-Oroville Hwy 2.2 miles north and turn left on Toats Coulee Road. Go 1.3 miles, then turn right on Chopaka Mtn Road and drive 7 miles to the lake. Once on Chopaka Mtn Road, stay on the larger road at branches — the road goes uphill for 5 miles to a larger fork in the road, stay right here and go downhill for 2 miles to lake and to the campground.

Map. See our topo map.

Activities. Canoeing, fly fishing, swimming, hiking.

Skill: 1 (easy). Fitness: 1 (easy).

Fishing. Chopaka is one of two fly-fishing only lakes in Okanogan county. There are two gravel boat launches on the lake. Late spring, early summer, and fall are best, with rainbow trout in the 12-18″ range. The water is quite warm from mid-July through August and the fishing is not as good at this time. The trout are actually quite stressed during this warm-water period and most conscientious fishermen ease up on the fishing at this time. Also, be sure to pick of a copy of the Okanogan County Fishing Regulations packet and make sure you are fishing within season. For more information on fishing Chopaka Lake, click here.

Land Ownership. Washington Department of Natural Resources (south end of lake) and Bureau of Land Management (north end of lake).

Permits: A Discover Pass is Required to park and camp, but (as of August 2014) additional fees were not charged for the camping. Keep this benefitgoing by leaving the campground and your campsite cleaner than when you arrived.

Water: There is a pump at the campground, but the water coming out of it is quite cloudy. Treating the water (or bringing all of your drinking water) is recommended.

Hiking. Take a hike up Grandview Mountain on the far side of the lake from the campground. There is no trail so follow the route on our map.

Leave It Better than You Found It. This should be every user’s goal. Do no damage and pick up trash left by others.

Disclaimer. Treat this information as recommendations, not gospel. Conditions change and those contributing these reports are volunteers–they may make mistakes or not know all the issues affecting a route. You are responsible for yourself, your actions, and your safety. If you won’t accept that responsibility, you are prohibited from using our information.